Steve Beaton marked his record-breaking 31st consecutive World Championship appearance with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Fallon Sherrock in a compelling first-round tussle last night, in a match ‘The Bronzed Adonis’ described as one of the toughest of his illustrious career.
Continue reading “Record-breaker Beaton hails Sherrock victory as one of his best”
The 2022 PDC World Darts Championship gets underway on Wednesday, and as we look ahead to a thrilling three weeks of darting festivities, co-hosts Josh Gorton and Jon Dean are on hand to preview this year’s showpiece.
Continue reading “Josh’s Dartistry Darts Podcast – The Bounce Out Episode 11; World Championship special”
Joe Cullen, Steve Beaton, Vincent van der Voort & Harry Ward secured their places in the bwin World Series of Darts Finals after prevailing in Friday’s Tour Card Holder Qualifier.
Continue reading “Quartet seal World Series Finals spots”
Steve Beaton is making history at Alexandra Palace this year by featuring in his 29th consecutive World Championship, and ‘The Bronzed Adonis’ had more cause for celebration after dumping out eighth seed James Wade on Sunday evening to reach the last 16 for the first time in 16 years.
Continue reading “History-making Beaton shines at Alexandra Palace!”
Steve Beaton defeated Raymond van Barneveld in a battle of the legends in Leverkusen, while Glen Durrant enjoyed a winning start on his European Tour debut on Friday night as the European Darts Open kicked off in style.
Continue reading “2019 European Darts Open – Day One Report!”
Steve Beaton, Stephen Bunting and Kyle Anderson were among eight players to secure a European Tour qualification double in Wigan on Friday, as Raymond van Barneveld and Glen Durrant also qualified for one event apiece.
Continue reading “Beaton, Barney & Durrant among European Tour qualifiers!”
Premier League stars Rob Cross, Michael Smith and Gerwyn Price all progressed through to the UK Open quarter-finals on a dramatic day of action at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, as James Wade, Daryl Gurney and Mensur Suljovic became the latest big names to exit the tournament.
Continue reading “2019 UK Open – Day Two Report!”
Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright all crashed out on a dramatic opening day of the Ladbrokes UK Open, while former champions Adrian Lewis and Raymond van Barneveld also bowed out as the 159-player tournament kicked off with a bang at Butlin’s Minehead Resort on Friday.
Continue reading “Van Gerwen, Anderson & Wright crash out of UK Open!”
Raymond van Barneveld will compete in his first European Tour event for almost two years in March after being amongst the qualifiers for the year’s opening two events, as three-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant produced a series of stunning displays in the first qualifier to seal his European Tour debut.
Continue reading “Van Barneveld secures European Tour return!”
The entries for the opening two European Tour events of the year have been confirmed ahead of the two UK Qualifiers and two West & South Europe Tour Card Holder Qualifiers at the Barnsley Metrodome on Friday February 22. Continue reading “European Tour 1 & 2 Qualifier Entries!”
Ricky Evans and Vincent van der Voort fired in ton-topping averages on the opening day of the European Darts Trophy in Gottingen, as Steve Beaton edged out Kim Huybrechts in a dramatic last-leg decider on Friday evening.
Ricky Evans produced the performance of the opening-round at the Lokhalle to dismantle Andrew Gilding 6-1 and set up a meeting with Darren Webster on Saturday evening. ‘Rapid’ averaged 104.73, registered four maximums and converted 60% of his attempts at double to cap off a wonderful display against ‘Goldfinger’.
Vincent van der Voort also produced a vintage display to keep his slender hopes of European Championship qualification alive. The Dutchman averaged 103.96 and posted five maximums to defeat Simon Stevenson 6-3, kicking off the contest with legs of 13, 13 and 11 darts, which he’ll need to replicate in round-two against Michael van Gerwen.
Toni Alcinas defied EIGHT maximums from Danny Noppert to close out a gripping deciding-leg win in the last match of Friday’s marathon double-session. ‘Noppie’ produced a blistering display of scoring but it wasn’t enough to defeat the spirited Spaniard, who averaged 97.51 and converted 41% of his darts at double to prevail.
Steve Beaton fended off an inspired fightback from Kim Huybrechts in a battle of the former European Tour winners. Beaton stormed into a 5-1 lead but the Belgian fought back to force a decider- only to miss one dart at the bull for victory, and ‘The Bronzed Adonis’ held his nerve to complete a clinical 78 kill and triumph with a 93.91 average.
Krzysztof Ratajski also survived one match dart in his first-round tussle against Steve West. ‘The Polish Eagle’ averaged 93.94 and hit 35% of his double attempts, but West missed one dart at D12 in the decider to snatch victory, which enabled Ratajski to convert D8 and set up a second-round meeting with home favourite Max Hopp.
Jeffrey de Zwaan will lock horns with world champion Rob Cross in an intriguing second-round tussle after seeing off host-nation qualifier Stefan Siepmann in his opener. De Zwaan wasn’t at his brilliant best but his combination finishing proved decisive, as he converted finishes of 73, 76, 88 and 120 to stave off any threat of an upset.
Martin Schindler delighted the home crowd with a hard-fought 6-3 win over Luke Woodhouse. ‘The Wall’ spurned ten darts at a double during the contest, but averaged 91.44 and registered four maximums to seal his place in the last 32, where he’ll take on the veteran Mervyn King.
Jelle Klaasen celebrated the birth of his second child this week, and he had more reasons to be cheerful after seeing off Maik Langendorf 6-4. Both players were below-par but Klaasen resisted a late fightback from the host-nation qualifier to prevail with an 88.51 average, two maximums and a 35% checkout conversion rate.
John Henderson came through a last-leg shootout against Mark Wilson to secure his spot in round-two, where he’ll take on Dutch Darts Champion Ian White. ‘The Highlander’ averaged 94.48 to Wilson’s 85.79, but the Scot was forced to conjure up a 14-dart leg in the decider to seal his progression.
2017 Development Tour winner Luke Humphries continued his bid to qualify for this month’s European Championship with a 6-4 win over Keegan Brown in the tournament’s curtain-raiser. Humphries averaged ten points more than the former World-Youth champion; prevailing with a 96.56 average, two 180’s and a 50% conversion rate.
Ryan Joyce maintained his 100% success rate in the first-round of European Tour events in 2018 with a comprehensive 6-1 win over Jermaine Wattimena. ‘Relentless’ wasn’t anywhere his best, but still breezed to victory against the off-colour Dutchman with an 88.37 average and a 46% checkout success rate.
Mickey Mansell set up a second-round clash with former Lakeside champion Stephen Bunting, after recording an emphatic 6-2 win over George Killington. Killington opened up an early 2-1 lead, but then was afforded just one more dart at a double, with Mansell reeling off five consecutive legs to triumph with an 87.76 average.
However, Mansell’s compatriot Brendan Dolan fell to a first-round defeat against host-nation qualifier Gabriel Clemens. The German averaged 92.30, crashed in three maximums and took out a fine 118 finish en route to victory over the former World Grand Prix finalist.
Matthew Edgar secured his first European Tour victory for three years with an impressive 6-3 win over Dutchman Jeffrey de Graaf. ‘Prime Time’ averaged 89.62, fired in four maximums and boasted a 50% checkout conversion rate to set up a second-round showdown against Joe Cullen.
Marko Kantele will play Premier League finalist Michael Smith for a place in the last 16, after seeing off qualifier Robert Marijanovic in round-one. The Finland World Cup veteran fired in five maximums in a powerful display of scoring; before rounding-off a 6-3 win with an 88.16 average and a 43% checkout success rate.
Richard North kept his hopes of European Championship qualification alive with a scrappy 6-3 win over host-nation qualifier Christian Bunse. The German outscored North for large periods, but missed 13 darts at double, as North limped to victory with a 79.04 average.
Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC
2018 European Darts Trophy (ET13)
Schedule of Play
Friday October 12
First Round
Afternoon Session (1pm local time, 12pm BST)
Luke Humphries 6-4 Keegan Brown
Matthew Edgar 6-3 Jeffrey de Graaf
Mickey Mansell 6-2 George Killington
John Henderson 6-5 Mark Wilson
Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Brendan Dolan
Marko Kantele 6-3 Robert Marijanovic
Ryan Joyce 6-1 Jermaine Wattimena
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Steve West
Evening Session (7.15pm local time, 6.15pm BST)
Richard North 6-3 Christian Bunse
Ricky Evans 6-1 Andrew Gilding
Martin Schindler 6-3 Luke Woodhouse
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Simon Stevenson
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Maik Langendorf
Steve Beaton 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-3 Steffen Siepmann
Toni Alcinas 6-5 Danny Noppert
Saturday October 13
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1pm local time, 12pm BST)
Joe Cullen v Matthew Edgar
Michael Smith v Marko Kantele
Dave Chisnall v Ryan Joyce
Stephen Bunting v Mickey Mansell
Daryl Gurney v Luke Humphries
Simon Whitlock v Richard North
Ian White v John Henderson
Jonny Clayton v Gabriel Clemens
Evening Session (7.15pm local time, 6.15pm BST)
Mervyn King v Martin Schindler
Gerwyn Price v Steve Beaton
Darren Webster v Ricky Evans
Michael van Gerwen v Vincent van der Voort
Peter Wright v Jelle Klaasen
James Wade v Toni Alcinas
Max Hopp v Krzysztof Ratajski
Rob Cross v Jeffrey de Zwaan
The 2018 BetVictor World Matchplay gets underway at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool in just under a fortnight’s time. Josh’s Dartistry picks out four of the most intriguing first-round ties and runs the rule over the respective tussles…. Continue reading “World Matchplay 2018: The Four Standout Ties!”
Michael van Gerwen continued his World Championship title defence with an incredible whitewash win over a shell-shocked James Wilson, as Gary Anderson sealed his place in round-three with a memorable win over Paul Lim, who wired double twelve for an amazing nine-darter on a dramatic day of action at the Alexandra Palace on Friday. Continue reading “PDC World Championship 2018: Day Nine Report!”
Michael van Gerwen began the defence of his William Hill World Darts Championship title with a stunning victory over his fellow countryman Christian Kist, whilst Gerwyn Price, Steve Beaton and James Wilson also prevailed on a high-quality opening night at the Alexandra Palace on Thursday evening. Continue reading “PDC World Championship 2018: Day One Report!”
Michael van Gerwen continued the defence of his Players Championship Finals title with convincing wins over Steve West and Darren Webster, whilst James Wade returned to form to set up a quarter-final clash with top seed Rob Cross on an action-packed double session in Minehead on Saturday. Continue reading “Players Championship Finals: Day Two Report!”
James Wilson, Robbie Green, Joe Murnan, Alan Norris, Jeffrey De Zwaan, Darren Webster, Steve Lennon and Stephen Bunting were the eight players to book their spot at this weekend’s Grand Slam of Darts after coming through an established field at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan on Monday afternoon. Continue reading “Grand Slam of Darts 2017: Qualifiers Confirmed!”
Peter Wright kicked off his bid for a maiden European Championship title with an impressive win over World Masters champion Krzysztof Ratajski, as Rob Cross and Jonny Clayton produced ton-topping averages on a high-quality session of darts in Hasselt on Friday afternoon. Continue reading “European Championship Day Two: Afternoon Report!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his European Championship title against fellow countryman Jan Dekker, whilst home favourite Kim Huybrechts takes on last year’s finalist Mensur Suljovic in Hasselt later this month. Continue reading “2017 European Championship Draw!”
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld eased into the World Grand Prix quarter-finals with a straight sets victory over the veteran Steve Beaton, as former champion Robert Thornton dumped out Dave Chisnall on an entertaining night of action at the Citywest Hotel on Tuesday evening. Continue reading “World Grand Prix: Day Three Report!”
John Henderson caused one of the biggest shocks in World Grand Prix history by dumping out reigning champion and world number one Michael van Gerwen on a dramatic opening night at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, on Sunday evening. Continue reading “World Grand Prix: Day One Report!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his World Grand Prix title against John Henderson, whilst two-time world champion Gary Anderson will take on debutant Richard North, after the draw for next month’s tournament was made this morning. Continue reading “2017 World Grand Prix Draw!”
Michael van Gerwen kicked off his bid for a third consecutive World Matchplay crown with a comprehensive win over former Lakeside world champion Stephen Bunting, as Adrian Lewis, Rob Cross and Simon Whitlock all recorded victories on the final night of first-round action at the Winter Gardens on Monday evening. Continue reading “2017 World Matchplay: Day Three Report!”
Former champion James Wade and Scottish stars Gary Anderson and Peter Wright will open the BetVictor World Matchplay on Saturday July 22nd, whilst defending champion Michael van Gerwen will begin his title defence on Monday 24th July, after the schedule of play was confirmed last week. Continue reading “2017 World Matchplay Schedule of Play!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his BetVictor World Matchplay title against former Lakeside world champion Stephen Bunting, as Phil Taylor’s Blackpool farewell kicks off with a potential banana-skin against Gerwyn Price, after the draw for this month’s event at the Winter Gardens was made on Tuesday evening. Continue reading “2017 World Matchplay Draw!”
Steve Beaton rolled back the years to clinch the third PDC Pro Tour title of his career with a stunning 6-3 victory over two-time world champion Gary Anderson at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading “Players Championship 13 Report!”
The draw for the 2017 Gibraltar Darts Trophy has been confirmed ahead of this weekend’s PDC European Tour event at the Victoria Stadium, with top seed Peter Wright vying for his fourth European Tour title of the year in the absence of world number one Michael van Gerwen. Continue reading “Gibraltar Darts Trophy: Draw & Schedule!”
Daryl Gurney has leapfrogged world number one Michael van Gerwen to top the Players Championship Order of Merit, after enjoying the best weekend of his darting career in Barnsley. ‘Super-Chin’ won his maiden PDC title at Players Championship Seven on Saturday, before losing out in the final of Sunday’s event to Joe Cullen. Continue reading “Players Championship Order of Merit Update!”
Robert Thornton, Mervyn King and Paul Nicholson were three of the high-profile names to secure qualification through to the HappyBet German Darts Open on Friday evening, as Steve Beaton landed a spectacular nine-dart finish on a dramatic night of action in Barnsley. Continue reading “European Tour 3- UK Qualifier Report!”
Peter Wright will be the top seed heading into next month’s Coral UK Open Finals in Minehead, after winning three of the six qualification events at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan over the last fortnight.
Wright tops the Order of Merit after defeating Adrian Lewis, Michael Smith and James Wade in the respective finals, as he amassed a staggering £35,000 in prize money across the qualification campaign.
Simon Whitlock finished in second position after maintaining his excellent Pro Tour form. ‘The Wizard’ won two of the six UK Open qualifiers to record his fourth PDC title in as many months, as he finished with a total of £21,250 in prize money.
World champion Michael van Gerwen was the only other player to win one of the qualifying events and finished in third position as a consequence. MvG endured a disappointing triple-header last week, but performed magnificently in Friday’s fourth qualifier. Continue reading “UK Open Order of Merit: Final Standings!”
Peter Wright tops the provisional UK Open Order of Merit after winning two of the opening three qualifiers at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan last weekend. Snakebite defeated Adrian Lewis on Friday, before surviving two-missed match darts from Michael Smith to triumph in Sunday’s finale.
The Scot has accrued £21,500 in prize money over the first-triple header and is well placed to be the top seed in Minehead. The final three qualifiers take place next weekend, and a host of big names are under significant pressure to seal their spots in the tournament dubbed ‘The FA Cup of Darts’.
After the conclusion of the six qualification events, the top 96 players on the Order of Merit will qualify for the televised UK Open Finals in March. The top 32 players will enter the competition in the third-round; players ranked 33rd-64th will compete in round-two, whilst players from 65th-96th will begin their campaigns in the opening round.
Simon Whitlock sits in second position after he prevailed in the second UK Open qualifier. ‘The Wizard’ enjoyed a welcome return to form during the latter stages of 2016, and the Aussie defeated Wright en route to winning his third Pro Tour title within four months, at the Robin Park Tennis Centre on Saturday. Continue reading “2017 UK Open Order of Merit Update!”
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld edged out Adrian Lewis in a seven-set thriller, whilst defending champion Gary Anderson defeated an inspired Benito van de Pas to book his place in the World Championship quarter-finals on a dramatic night of action at the Alexandra Palace on Wednesday evening.
Van Barneveld came from 3-2 down to defeat two-time world champion Adrian Lewis in a topsy-turvy clash to reach the last eight at Ally Pally once again. Neither player were at their vintage best, but Van Barneveld prevailed with a 95 average, three maximums and a 38% conversion rate on the doubles.
Lewis succumbed to a last 16 defeat against Van Barneveld for the second time in three years at Ally Pally despite averaging 98.05, firing in six maximums and converting an impressive 65% of his attempts at double, but ultimately the Dutch legend produced the goods at the crucial moments.
Nevertheless, ‘Jackpot’ made a blistering start to clinch the opening set without reply. The Stoke-on-Trent star landed identical 90 checkouts to round off respective 11-dart legs and also pinned D16 to seal first blood with a 114.55 average. Continue reading “2017 PDC World Championship: Day Eleven Report!”
Peter Wright began his World Championship campaign with a comprehensive straight sets victory over enigmatic Dutchman Jerry Hendriks, as former world champion Steve Beaton and debutant Jonny Clayton also booked their spots in round-two at the Alexandra Palace on Friday evening.
Wright produced the performance of the tournament thus far to dispatch Jerry Hendriks in the final match of Friday’s action. Snakebite averaged 101.06, converted 45% of his double attempts and conjured up 131 and 141 finishes to close out a 3-0 victory over the exuberant Dutchman nicknamed ‘Electric’.
Hendriks had secured his place in round-one with a straight sets preliminary-round victory over Kiwi veteran Warren Parry earlier in the evening. Hendriks snatched a tight opening set after following up a maximum by pinning D19, but only after Parry had missed D12 for a spectacular 141 checkout.
Parry appeared destined to level up the contest after taking out 102 and 67 finishes to steal a march in set two, but Hendriks stayed alive by pinning tops, before seizing back control by following up a magnificent 174 by hitting D10. The Dutchman then fired in his third maximum to prevail with a respectable 86.63 average and 46% on the doubles. Continue reading “2017 PDC World Championship- Day Two Report!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his World Series of Darts Finals title against either Gerwyn Price or Steve Beaton when the £155,000 tournament gets underway at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena this coming Saturday.
‘The Green Machine’ edged out Peter Wright 11-10 to win the tournament’s inaugural staging last year, which was the culmination of the annual worldwide tour. There were six World Series events held this year, in Dubai, Auckland, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Perth.
Van Gerwen will be top seed in Glasgow this weekend after topping the World Series of Darts rankings for the second year in succession. MvG won both the Shanghai and Perth Darts Masters, whilst he was also a runner-up in Dubai, Tokyo and Sydney.
The world number one will begin his campaign against either Gerwyn Price or Steve Beaton. Van Gerwen demolished Price 10-2 in the second-round of last week’s European Championship, whilst he also defeated Steve Beaton in the first-round of last month’s World Grand Prix. Continue reading “2016 World Series of Darts Finals Draw & Schedule!”
Simon Whitlock and Steve Beaton were among the four stars to qualify for next month’s Ladbrokes World Series of Darts Finals after coming through qualifiers held at the Barnsley Metrodome on Sunday. Brendan Dolan secured a magnificent qualification-double, whilst Joe Murnan showed his class to seal his spot in Glasgow.
Simon Whitlock continued his fine run of form to secure qualification for the World Series of Darts Finals. Whitlock competed in the Sydney Darts Masters and Perth Darts Masters earlier this year, but lost in the opening round on both occasions, to Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld respectively.
The Aussie ace, who has recorded two Players Championship victories within the last month, breezed through to the final round of qualifying, before prevailing in an extremely tight tussle to confirm his place at the Braehead Arena next month.
‘The Wizard’ recorded comprehensive wins against Dick van Dijk and Shaun Griffiths, before thrashing Nigel Heydon 6-1 to reach the last eight. Whitlock had dropped just four legs in his opening three games, but his decisive contest with William O’Connor was a nail-biting affair, which saw the Aussie claim the spoils in a last-leg shootout. Continue reading “World Series of Darts Finals: Qualifiers Confirmed!”
Eleven-time champion Phil Taylor was sensationally dumped out in the opening round of the World Grand Prix by debutant Steve West, as world number one Michael van Gerwen survived a minor scare at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin on Monday evening.
The evening’s proceedings were interrupted early on by a power-failure, however the story of the night was the power-failure suffered by Phil Taylor. The Stoke-on-Trent ace, an 11-time champion in Dublin, lost six of the last nine legs against an inspired Steve West, to suffer his fifth first-round exit in the tournament’s history.
West broke Taylor’s throw in the very first leg after the 56-year-old missed three darts at D12. However, ‘The Power’ responded emphatically, breaking straight back with a clinical 111 checkout. Taylor then secured an easy hold of throw after West took 16 darts to pin a starting double, and the 16-time world champion went on to clinch the set after nailing D6.
West looked like a beaten man after the opening set, but he rallied superbly and restored parity at one apiece after producing a trio of top-class finishes. He won the opening leg of the set with an 86 finish, and sandwiched in between seven perfect darts from Taylor, West took out two clinical 101 finishes to force a third and final set.
Taylor had the throw in the deciding set, but he relinquished the initiative after missing one dart at double and West pounced, breaking throw on D10. The underdog then moved to the cusp of a shock victory after holding his nerve to complete a 62 checkout, but Taylor preserved his hopes by hitting D16 to hold throw. Continue reading “World Grand Prix Day Two: Taylor suffers shock first-round exit!”
World number one Michael van Gerwen will face the legendary Steve Beaton in the first-round of the World Grand-Prix, whilst reigning champion Robert Thornton will begin the defence of his title against Stephen Bunting at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, next week.
The draw for the 2016 World Grand-Prix, which begins on Sunday October 2nd, was made live on the PDC’s official Facebook page, ahead of the final day of Champions League of Darts action.
Van Gerwen will take on 1996 Lakeside world champion Steve Beaton in round-one. Beaton has enjoyed a mini-resurgence this year, reaching the quarter-finals of the recent World Matchplay. However, ‘The Green Machine’ will be hoping to clinch a third World Grand-Prix title.
Robert Thornton, who defeated Van Gerwen in a thrilling final last year, takes on another former Lakeside champion Stephen Bunting. ‘The Thorn’ has endured a slump in form since winning his second major title last year, but he’ll be hoping that a return to Irish soil will have a galvanising effect on his fortunes.
Phil Taylor will go in search of an unprecedented twelfth World Grand-Prix crown against debutant Steve West. West secured his spot for this event by virtue of reaching the final of Players Championship 16 in Barnsley last week, which saw Vincent van der Voort miss out on qualification. Continue reading “2016 World Grand Prix Draw!”
Adrian Lewis and Raymond van Barneveld will both be high-profile absentees from next month’s European Championship in Hasselt, Belgium, having missed out on qualification via the European Tour Order of Merit.
The unique qualification criteria for the European Championship is determined purely by the prize money accrued by players across the ten European Tour events throughout the year; therefore world rankings have absolutely no relevance on a player’s ability to qualify.
Adrian Lewis competed in three of the opening four European Tour events of the year; The Dutch Darts Masters, the German Darts Masters and the European Darts Matchplay. Jackpot reached the quarter-finals in Holland, before suffering successive last 16 exits in the following two events.
The two-time world champion earned £7,500 from his three European Tour appearances, but since the European Matchplay in May, Lewis hasn’t competed in any of the remaining events. As a result, Lewis is no longer an automatic seed and must now qualify for any future European Tour events.
The two-time world champion currently sits in 36th position on the European Tour Order of Merit, but as he won’t be competing in the final event in Hildesheim, the former European Championship winner won’t be able to improve upon his ranking, and he’ll subsequently be absent in Hasselt. Continue reading “Lewis & Van Barneveld to miss out on European Championship!”
Raymond van Barneveld produced a magnificent 141 finish to edge past Simon Whitlock in a thrilling deciding-leg at the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix, but Mensur Suljovic produced the performance of the second-round at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen on Saturday.
Van Barneveld made a sluggish start to his contest, as Whitlock eased into a 2-0 advantage. The Australian missed three darts for a precious double-break in the third leg, allowing the Dutchman to open his account with a 60 checkout.
However in the fourth leg, ‘The Wizard’ capitalised on missed doubles from Van Barneveld, who missed two darts at tops to break back, allowing Whitlock to regain his two-leg cushion. Yet, the five-time world champion responded impressively, firing in his first maximum and taking out 111 to reduce the arrears to 3-2.
Whitlock delivered an instant riposte with a top-class 130 checkout, before the next two legs were shared, with the Australian leading 5-3. Barney remained in contention by pinning D16, before benefitting from a missed match dart from the Aussie in the tenth leg.
The Den Haag ace left 24 after 12 darts having posted successive visits of 180 and 137, and after Whitlock missed one dart at D7 for an 86 kill, Barney forced a decider with a 13-darter. Continue reading “European Darts Grand Prix: Day Two Report!”
Phil Taylor will lock horns with world champion Gary Anderson in the BetVictor World Matchplay semi-finals, after both players overcame major scares in the last eight at the Winter Gardens on Friday evening.
Taylor remains on course for a record 16th Matchplay crown, after edging out a tenacious Mervyn King 16-14 in a pulsating affair. ‘The Power’ began strongly, firing in a 10-darter en route to a 5-2 lead. However, King responded superbly, reeling off three successive legs to restore parity.
Taylor was scoring well, but missed doubles were proving expensive for the Stoke-on-Trent star. King posted his third maximum and hit tops for an 8-7 lead, before breaking Taylor’s throw with a fine 13-darter; hitting D16 having hit a majestic 174 in the preceding visit.
Despite this, the 55-year-old broke back instantly and levelled up the contest at 9-9. The next seven legs went with throw as King forged a narrow 13-12 advantage, but Taylor enjoyed a trademark ‘Power’ surge to seize the initiative.
Taylor hit back-to-back maximums at the start of the 26th leg, to set up a nine-dart possibility. He added a seventh T20, but the T19 proved elusive, and he converted D16 for a 10-darter to draw level once more.
Continue reading “Taylor & Anderson survive major scares in Blackpool!”
Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson produced impressive performances to ease through to the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay, whilst Steve Beaton and Mervyn King rolled back the years at the Winter Gardens on Wednesday evening.
Taylor’s quest for an unprecedented 16th Matchplay crown continued with a comprehensive 11-5 victory over Mensur Suljovic. After a shaky opening-round win against Robbie Green, ‘The Power’ was much improved against the Austrian, averaging 101 and converting 48% of his attempts at double.
Taylor raced into a 3-0 advantage, but Suljovic responded impressively and cut the deficit to 3-2 at the next interval. ‘The Power’ then won four of the next five legs, to establish a commanding 7-3 cushion.
Suljovic continued to display great tenacity, converting finishes of 103 and 104 to remain in contention, but the 55-year-old Stoke star was unperturbed, firing in his fourth maximum and taking out 68 to seal victory, and book a place in the last eight on Friday.
The Dutch duo of Raymond van Barneveld and Jelle Klaasen were dumped out in round-one of the World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens on Monday evening. However elsewhere, Phil Taylor began his quest for a 16th Matchplay title with a hard-fought win over Robbie Green, whilst Michael Smith saw off Simon Whitlock.
On a night of upsets, Phil Taylor survived a scare against Robbie Green, who was making his first Matchplay appearance since 2004. ‘The Power’ averaged 98.72 and fired in six maximums, to set up a last 16 clash against Mensur Suljovic.
Green made an electric start, winning the opening two legs and missing D10 for a 128 checkout in the third. However Taylor rallied, winning five of the next six legs to establish a 5-3 advantage. Yet surprisingly, the 55-year-old endured double-trouble in the following legs, enabling ‘Kong’ to restore parity at 5-5.
Taylor was seething over his misses, but he responded impressively after the break. He broke throw instantly with an excellent 118 checkout, before regaining his two-leg cushion with a clinical 70 finish. Green continued to battle valiantly, recording seven maximums in total, but Taylor sealed a narrow victory with a 65 finish on tops.
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his World Matchplay title against Jamie Caven, whilst world champion Gary Anderson takes on former Lakeside world finalist Alan Norris, after the draw was made live on Sky Sports News on Thursday morning.
The prestigious 32-player event, televised by Sky Sports, will be held at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens from July 16-24. Van Gerwen, who defeated James Wade in last year’s final, is faced with a tough assignment against Caven, a winner of seven Pro Tour titles.
Arguably the tie of the round sees world champion Gary Anderson take on Alan Norris. Norris has been in tremendous form over the last twelve months, which saw him reach the quarter-finals of the PDC World Championship on debut. Anderson has never gone beyond the last four in Blackpool, and this promises to be a quick-fire contest.
Phil Taylor will begin his bid for an unprecedented 16th World Matchplay title against Robbie Green, who just managed to secure his spot on the final day of qualifying.’Kong’ is making his first Matchplay appearance since 2004, but Taylor will be hoping to win his eighth Blackpool title in just nine years.
The field for the 2016 World Matchplay was confirmed after the conclusion of the Players Championship double-header in Barnsley. Robbie Green secured a last-gasp qualification with a fine run to the quarter-finals at the Metrodome on Sunday afternoon.
A 32-player field will compete in the BetVictor World Matchplay from July 16-24 at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, as the top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit will be joined by 16 qualifiers from the rolling one-year ProTour Order of Merit.
Green will be making his long-awaited Blackpool return, having lost 10-7 to Bob Anderson in round-one of the World Matchplay twelve years ago, back in 2004. Green’s run to the last eight in Players Championship 11 saw him pip Rowby-John Rodriguez for the final qualification spot, which will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Austrian.
There will also be three debutants in this year’s competition. Former World Championship finalist Alan Norris has been rewarded for his remarkable Pro Tour consistency, having finished 4th on the Pro Tour Order of Merit.
World number one Michael van Gerwen will begin his quest for a fourth European Tour title of 2016 against either Jonny Clayton or a home-nation qualifier, when the Austrian Darts Open begins in Vienna on Friday.
The £115,000 PDC European Tour event will see 48 players competing from Friday June 10th to Sunday June 12th at the Multiversum in Schwechat, Vienna. Van Gerwen, a two-time champion here, will be hoping to continue his unblemished European Tour record in Austria this weekend.
Phil Taylor will also be making his first European Tour appearance of the year, and he’ll face a tough tie against either Mervyn King or Steve West in round-two. Meanwhile, second seed Peter Wright will meet either quick-fire Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena, or recent World Cup semi-finalist Brendan Dolan.
Three-time European Tour winner, Michael Smith, will lock horns against Mike Zuydwijk or Mark Frost, whilst fourth seed Dave Chisnall will play Jamie Caven or 2012 Austrian Darts Open winner Justin Pipe.
Benito van de Pas won his second Pro Tour title of the year with a stunning 6-0 whitewash victory over Joe Cullen in the final of Players Championship Nine at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, on Sunday afternoon.
Van de Pas enjoyed a fine day at the Ricoh, reaching his third Pro Tour final of the year and averaging 111 in Sunday’s curtain-raiser. Cullen averaged an impressive 102.38, but he wasn’t given a sniff. Benito kicked off proceedings with victory over his fellow Dutchman Christian Kist, before easing past Andy Boulton 6-2.
‘Big Ben’ then breezed through to the quarter-finals, dropping just one leg against Nathan Aspinall and Jason Wilson respectively. Van de Pas later defeated Justin Pipe 6-3 in the last eight, after Pipe had previously seen off Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey.
Van de Pas then romped into the final after dismantling Darren Webster 6-1. Webster had claimed a series of creditable scalps throughout the afternoon, beating Kyle Anderson, Kevin Painter, Jeffrey de Zwaan, Mark Walsh and Alan Norris. Nevertheless, his fine run was ended by the 23-year-old Dutchman in the last four. Continue reading “Van de Pas storms to Players Championship Nine glory with 111 average!”
Kevin Painter, Stephen Bunting, Daryl Gurney, James Wilson and home-favourite Reine Eidams were among the players to reach the second-round of the German Darts Masters, as Alan Norris and Andrew Gilding suffered surprise exits at the Ballhausforum, Dolce Hotel, Munich, on Saturday.
However, the performance of the day was produced by former world finalist Kevin Painter, who eased into the last 32 with a stunning 6-1 victory against Stuart Kellett. ‘The Artist’averaged 101.7 and boasted an impressive 55% on the doubles, although ‘KO’ almost stole the headlines, missing D12 for a 9-darter in leg four.
Stephen Bunting prevailed 6-4 against Steve Beaton in a battle of the world champions in the penultimate game of Saturday’s double-session. Beaton delivered an inspired 161 checkout to go 4-3 up, but ‘The Bullet’ fired back superbly, and clinched victory with an excellent 110 finish, to set up a tasty second-round tie against Peter Wright.
World Championship quarter-finalist Alan Norris suffered a surprise exit at the hands of Jermaine Wattimena in a topsy-turvy contest. There were five successive breaks in the opening stages, before Wattimena missed 11 match darts. Yet, the quick-fire Dutchman wasn’t to be denied, and managed to close out a morale-boosting 6-4 victory.
Continue reading “German Darts Masters- Day 1 Report & Results!”
World number one Michael van Gerwen could begin the defence of his German Darts Masters title against home favourite Reine Eidams, in a repeat of their classic first-round World Championship clash last year, after the draw for this weekend’s event in Munich was made on Friday evening.
However, Eidams must firstly overcome ‘The Rock’ Peter Hudson in round-one on Saturday. Van Gerwen, who defeated John Henderson to win last year’s event, will be hoping for a repeat performance in 2016.
World champion Gary Anderson could take on Daryl Gurney in round-two, in a repeat of their World Championship clash in December. However, Gurney, who reached the final of the Dutch Darts Masters last month, must defeat young Belgian star Dimitri van den Bergh before even contemplating a showdown with ‘The Flying Scotsman’.
Adrian Lewis, who won the inaugural staging of the German Darts Masters back in 2012, will take on either John Bowles or Fabian Herz. Elsewhere, fourth seed James Wade will either meet Raymond van Barneveld’s protege Mike Zuydwijk, or the in-form Joe Cullen, who reached his first major TV quarter-final at the UK Open three weeks ago.
Three-Time European Tour winner Michael Smith could meet former BDO man Jeffrey de Graaf in the last 32, if the talented Dutchman can overcome Darren Johnson on Friday. Dave Chisnall, who along with Smith is facing the prospect of Premier League elimination next week, faces a tough tie against either Alan Norris or Jermaine Wattimena.
Daryl Gurney, Kevin Painter, Alan Norris, John Henderson, Joe Cullen and Joe Murnan enjoyed double-qualification success by sealing their spots in the Gibraltar Darts Trophy and European Darts Matchplay on Friday evening, whilst Phil Taylor only managed to seal his spot in Hamburg, after failing to secure a place in Gibraltar.
This qualification double-header took place at the Barnsley Metrodome ahead of this weekend’s opening Players Championship events. There were a host of big names vying to seal their spots in Gibraltar and Hamburg, and Taylor will be competing in his first European Tour event for 18 months having qualified for the European Darts Matchplay.
However, Taylor, a former Gibraltar Darts Trophy winner back in 2013, will not be able to repeat the feat this year, after he was defeated 6-4 in the final game of the opening night’s qualifier by Ross Smith.
Nevertheless, the 16-time world champion exacted revenge in the night’s second European Tour qualifier, edging out Smith 6-5 before whitewashing Lee Palfreyman 6-0 to seal his place in Germany.
Continue reading “European Tours 3-4: UK Qualifiers Report & Results”
The 2016 Coral UK Open gets underway in Minehead on Friday afternoon as Michael van Gerwen looks to defend his title in the most unpredictable major tournament on the darting calendar. In the thirteen years since this event began, there have been thirteen different finalists. Josh’s Dartistry looks at 6 potential outsiders for the crown this year.
Alan Norris
Alan Norris is one of the form men in the PDC at present. The 2014 Lakeside finalist made the switch in January 2015 and after a difficult start initially, ‘Chuck’ has produced a series of fine performances in the past six months, which saw him reach the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace in his maiden PDC World Championship appearance.
Norris won his first PDC ranking title last October, in a Players Championship event in Ireland. This saw Alan qualify for the European Championships and the Players Championship Finals and he’s gone from strength-to-strength from this moment onwards.
Michael van Gerwen won his third UK Open qualifier of 2016 with an emphatic 6-2 win over 1996 world champion Steve Beaton, at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan on Sunday afternoon. Van Gerwen has now amassed a staggering £37,500 towards the UK Open Order of Merit in just 6 qualification events.
Van Gerwen eased through to the last 32 with comfortable victories over Michael Dawson and Nick Fullwell, for the loss of just four legs. ‘The Green Machine’ then breezed past Kevin Dowling 6-1 in the last 32, before edging past the impressive Lee Evans 6-4 to record yet another Pro-Tour quarter-final appearance.
For the second day in succession, Van Gerwen faced Phil Taylor and the outcome was the same, as MvG recorded an emphatic 6-2 victory over the 16-time world champion. The world number one was in rampant form, and secured a place in his fourth UK Open qualifier final of 2016 with a comprehensive 6-1 rout of Ian White.
However, it was a brilliant day’s work for the timeless Steve Beaton. The Adonis rolled back the years, to ensure that he will enter the UK Open in the third-round stage. Beaton was supremely consistent throughout the day, but he kicked off his qualification campaigns with narrow victories over the young duo of Ross Smith and Mike Zuydwijk.
Continue reading “Van Gerwen secures UK Open treble with victory over Beaton!”
Martin Adams’ Grand-Slam fairytale was ended in an epic last-leg decider against Kim Huybrechts in Wolverhampton on Thursday evening.
Adams recovered from 6-3 and 9-7 down, but ultimately the Belgian held his nerve to seal victory and set up a repeat of last year’s quarter-final against Michael van Gerwen.
Huybrechts started poorly with the throw and Adams capitalised, hitting D2 for a 1-0 advantage. Wolfie then doubled his lead with an exquisite 10-darter, before Huybrechts hit D20 to get off the mark.
Andy Fordham’s Grand-Slam fairy-tale continued, as he beat local-favourite Wayne Jones to keep his hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages alive, whilst Dave Chisnall hit a perfect 9-darter in his incredible victory against Peter Wright!
Fordham, who averaged 99 in losing 5-2 to Adrian Lewis on Saturday evening, didn’t produce the same level of performance against Jones, but he held his nerve in crucial moments to secure an extremely poignant 5-3 victory.
Jones missed 6 darts at double in an error-strewn opening leg of the contest, allowing Fordham to capitalise, by hitting D10 with his last-dart to break throw. ‘The Viking’ then extended his lead on the same target in the following leg.
There were a number of surprise qualifiers for the Grand Slam of Darts in Coventry today, as Winmau trio Mark Webster, Mervyn King and Steve Beaton were the most high-profile names to secure qualification.
Beaton whitewashed Prakash Jiwa and Matt Clark 5-0 to seal qualification, whilst Mark Webster was an emphatic 5-1 victor over James Richardson in the final round of qualifying.
They will be joined in Wolverhampton by Wayne Jones, who beat Devon Petersen in the final round of qualifying, to secure a place in his hometown event.
Former BDO man Robbie Green, who reached the last 16 of last year’s Grand Slam, performed superbly well to qualify, thrashing both Andy Hamilton and Vincent van der Voort 5-1 to seal his spot.
Continue reading “Beaton, King and Webster Qualify for the Grand Slam, as other Big Names Tumble!”
Phil Taylor and James Wade both suffered sensational first-round exits at the World Grand Prix in a night of shocks at the Citywest in Dublin.
11-time Grand Prix Champion Taylor was beaten at the first-round stage for the fourth time in his career, as Vincent van der Voort produced one of his finest television performances to record a straight-sets victory over ‘The Power’.
In addition, James Wade was sensationally dumped out by Mensur Suljovic. The former Grand Prix Champion was highly fancied to challenge for the title given his affinity with the tournament and his recent excellent form, but he was outplayed by ‘The Gentle’.
However, the headlines will inevitably go to van der Voort, who secured his first ranking victory over Taylor since 2009. Over such a short format, the top players are always vulnerable in the early rounds and the Dutchman was tremendous throughout.
Continue reading “Taylor and Wade suffer Shock First-Round Exits in Dublin!”
Michael van Gerwen ended his UK Open hoodoo, beating his arch-rival Peter Wright 11-5 in Sunday’s showpiece final. Van Gerwen’s previous best run at the UK Open was a semi-final appearance last year, where he lost to Terry Jenkins, but he rectified this statistic and claimed glory with some phenomenal displays on the final day.
Continue reading “MvG beats arch-rival Wright to reign supreme in Minehead.”